Toast of the town! The 2009 Juno Awards Gala Evening honours 32 of Canada's top recording artists

    VANCOUVER, March 28 /CNW/ - The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences (CARAS) celebrated the class of 2009 JUNO Award winners at tonight's
JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards held in Vancouver, BC. The non-televised gala event
attended by more than 1,200 music industry guests and nominees honoured 32 new
JUNO Award winners - the first of two nights celebrating the best and
brightest in Canadian music.
    Seven remaining JUNO Awards will be given out at tomorrow night's
broadcast of THE 2009 JUNO AWARDS, hosted by Russell Peters, from Vancouver's
General Motors Place on Sunday, March 29 at 5 p.m. (PST) televised across the
country on CTV.
    "Tonight's winners represent the sensational cross-section of musical
talent that Canada has to offer," said Melanie Berry, President of CARAS. "We
are so proud to celebrate Canada's creative excellence each year at The JUNO
Awards and to honour the hard work and successes of our artists."
    Kicking off the JUNO Awards Gala Dinner & Awards show was an electrifying
performance by first-time JUNO Award nominees, Beast. As JUNO Award statuettes
were distributed throughout the evening, additional performances lit up the
stage from JUNO Award nominees Elise Estrada, Nikki Yanofsky, Steve Dawson,
The Gryphon Trio and The Trews.
    A double win went to indie-rockers and first-time JUNO Award winners The
Stills, who received the JUNO Award for New Group of the Year (sponsored by
FACTOR and Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters) and Alternative Album of the
Year for Oceans Will Rise.
    R&B songstress Divine Brown also received her first JUNO Award for
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for The Love Chronicles; while Canada's rap
superstar Kardinal Offishall won the JUNO Award for Single of the Year for the
hit collaboration "Dangerous" with American hip hop singer Akon.
    Serena Ryder received the win for Adult Alternative Album of the Year
(sponsored by Galaxie, Rising Stars Program of the CBC), making it her second
JUNO Award to-date following her debut success and 2008 win for New Artist of
the Year (sponsored by FACTOR and Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters).
    Other 2009 JUNO Award wins of the evening included: Alanis Morissette
(Pop Album of the Year) sponsored by 91.7 The Bounce; Buffy Sainte-Marie
(Aboriginal Album of the Year) sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television
Network; Doc Walker (Country Recording of the Year); Humble (Reggae Recording
of the Year); Molly Johnson (Vocal Jazz Album of the Year); and Sam Roberts
(Rock Album of the Year).
    Alongside the Awards and a stellar line-up of performances by JUNO Award
nominees, two distinctive honours were also bestowed. Broadcasting pioneer
Fred Sherratt received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award presented to
him by former CityLine host, Marilyn Denis.
    Sherratt is perhaps best known as the former Vice Chair and Chief
Operating Officer of CHUM Limited and is credited for helping to build the
organization into one of Canada's leading media conglomerates.
    Sarah McLachlan, who is celebrating the 20-year anniversary of her
triumphant music career and who has eight JUNO Awards to her name, adds one
more as she received the 2009 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award. The Award,
named after CHUM Ltd. founder Allan Waters and made possible by funding from
the CTV/CHUM benefits package, recognizes her outstanding contributions to
charities and organizations at home and internationally.

    2009 JUNO GALA DINNER & AWARDS WINNERS:
    ---------------------------------------

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR
    Dangerous
    Kardinal Offishall
    Kon Live(*)Universal

    INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Viva La Vida
    Coldplay
    Capitol(*)EMI

    NEW GROUP OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY FACTOR AND CANADA'S PRIVATE RADIO
    BROADCASTERS)
    The Stills
    Arts & Crafts(*)EMI

    COUNTRY RECORDING OF THE YEAR
    Beautiful Life
    Doc Walker
    Open Road(*)Universal

    ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY GALAXIE, RISING STARS
    PROGRAM OF THE CBC)
    is it o.k
    Serena
    Ryder EMI

    ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Oceans Will Rise
    The Stills
    Arts & Crafts(*)EMI

    POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY 91.7 THE BOUNCE)
    Flavors of Entanglement
    Alanis Morissette
    Maverick(*)Warner

    ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Love At The End Of The World
    Sam Roberts
    Universal

    VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Lucky
    Molly Johnson
    A440(*)Universal

    CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Embracing Voices
    Jane Bunnett
    EMI

    TRADITIONAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Second Time Around
    Oliver Jones
    Justin Time(*)Fusion III

    INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Nostomania
    DJ Brace presents The Electric Nosehair Orchestra
    Balanced Records

    FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Tous les sens
    Ariane Moffatt
    Audiogram(*)Select

    CHILDREN'S ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Snacktime!
    Barenaked Ladies
    Desperation(*)Warner

    CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO OR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
    Homage
    James Ehnes
    ONYX(*)SRI

    CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: LARGE ENSEMBLE OR SOLOIST(S) WITH LARGE
    ENSEMBLE ACCOMPANIMENT
    Beethoven: Ideals Of The French Revolution
    Orchestre symphonique de Montréal/Kent Nagano
    Analekta(*)Select

    CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: VOCAL OR CHORAL PERFORMANCE
    Gloria! Vivaldi's Angels
    Ensemble Caprice
    Analekta(*)Select

    CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
    Flanders Fields Reflections
    John Burge FLANDERS FIELDS REFLECTIONS
    Marquis(*)EMI

    R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
    The Love Chronicles
    Divine Brown
    WEA(*)Warner

    DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY ENERGY 101.5)
    Random Album Title
    Deadmau5
    Ultra(*)EMI

    REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
    Everything
    Humble
    Palm of Gold Records

    ABORIGINAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY ABORIGINAL PEOPLES TELEVISION
    NETWORK)
    Running For The Drum
    Buffy Sainte-Marie
    Gypsy Boy(*)EMI

    ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO
    Proof Of Love
    Old Man Luedecke
    Black Hen(*)Fontana North

    ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP
    Chic Gamine
    Chic Gamine
    Independent

    BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Ramblin' Son
    Julian Fauth
    Electro-Fi(*)Outside

    CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Ending Is Beginning
    Downhere
    Centricity(*)David C. Cook

    WORLD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS)
    Africa To Appalachia
    Jayme Stone & Mansa Sissoko
    Independent(*)Outside

    JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
    Daniel Lanois
    "Here Is What Is" | "Not Fighting Anymore" HERE IS WHAT IS - Daniel
    Lanois
    Red Floor(*) Fontana North

    RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
    Kevin Churko
    "Disappearing" | "The Big Bang" U-CATASTROPHE - Simon Collins
    Razor & Tie(*)Sony

    CD/DVD ARTWORK DESIGN OF THE YEAR
    Anouk Pennel (Director/Designer); Stéphane Poirier (Illustrator)
    En concert dans la forêt des mal-aimés avec l'Orchestre Métropolitain du
    Grand Montréal PIERRE LAPOINTE
    Independent(*)Select

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY VIDEOFACT)
    Honey Honey
    Anthony Seck FEIST
    Arts & Crafts(*)EMI

    MUSIC DVD OF THE YEAR
    Blue Road
    Christopher Mills, Geoff McLean BLUE RODEO
    WEA(*)Warner

    Sponsors of The 2009 JUNO Awards include FACTOR, Canada's Private Radio
Broadcasters and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian
Heritage's "Canada Music Fund," The Province of British Columbia, The City of
Vancouver, Music BC and Radio Starmaker Fund.
    Broadcast sponsors of THE 2009 JUNO AWARDS are Garnier, Pepsi, Pontiac
and Rogers.

    About CARAS:
    ------------

    The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L'academie canadienne
des arts et des sciences de l'enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit
organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music and recording
industries and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards.
The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of opportunities to
showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through vehicles such as The
JUNO Awards. For more information on The 38th Annual JUNO Awards or The
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit our
websites at www.carasonline.ca and www.junoawards.ca.

For further information: Media Contacts: Chris McDowall, Holmes Creative
Communications, (416) 628-5648, cmcdowall@hccink.com; Tiffany Astle, Holmes
Creative Communications, (416) 628-5603, tastle@hccink.com